Harem Scarem

Harem Scarem was formed in 1987 by guitarist Pete Lesperance and singer Harry Hess, formerly of Blind Vengeance who had recorded two heavy metal albums in the '80s. The lineup was rounded out by Darren Smith (drums) and Mike Gionet (bass). They recorded a demo CD in 1990, which garnered them attention since most demos at the time were released on cassette tape only. On the strength of this demo, they were signed to Warner Music and recorded their first album. This demo CD, which was sold to fans, is long out of print.

In 1991, Harem Scarem released their self-titled debut album, which charted at No. 68 on the Canadian album chart. The band scored a hit single from the album; "Slowly Slipping Away", which charted at No. 25 on the Canadian single chart. They also managed to chart two minor hits; "Honestly" and "Love Reaction". The following year, Harem Scarem was able to gain some notoriety when 8 songs from their debut album Harem Scarem were predominantly featured in the Canadian teen series Degrassi Junior High, and Degrassi High's farewell TV movie, School's Out.

Harem Scarem released their second album in 1993, Mood Swings, which had a harder sound to it than their previous album. It also featured the recorded vocal debut of drummer Smith on the song "Sentimental Blvd". A fan favorite, Mood Swings charted at No. 83 on the Canadian charts. The album's lead off single was "No Justice", which managed to chart at No. 59 in Canada, while the other two singles failed to chart. Mood Swings caused the band to gain popularity in Japan, and the band's previous album was quickly issued in that country the following year. This was followed by a live and acoustic EP, appropriately titled Live & Acoustic.

In 1995, the band released their third album Voice of Reason. The album introduced a change in the band's musical style, and was darker in sound than the first two albums. The song "Blue" was released as a promotional single and had a music video for it, however it failed to chart. Bassist Mike Gionet departed after Voice of Reason for personal reasons and was replaced by former Blu Bones member Barry Donaghy.

The next two albums, Karma Cleansing (which was released as Believe in Japan) and Big Bang Theory, saw Harem Scarem modernizing their sound. Barry Donaghy also made his lead vocal debut with Harem Scarem on "Sometimes I Wish" from Big Bang Theory. Both albums and the singles from them again failed to chart. In 1998, the band released their last commercial single "So Blind".

In 1999, Harem Scarem changed their name to Rubber, and released two albums under that name in Canada. However, they still used the name Harem Scarem in Japan and the rest of the world. Pete Lesperance made his recorded lead vocal debut on the song "Trip" from the self-titled Rubber CD. They made a music video for "Sunshine", which had actors that looked like Jay and Silent Bob, and parodied movies which were released around that time, such as American Pie. The second album under the Rubber name, Ultra Feel, featured their new drummer Creighton Doane (brother of Melanie Doane) replacing Darren Smith. Smith briefly switched to guitar and joined Helix as a touring musician. The band soon dropped the Rubber name and switched back to their original name, Harem Scarem.

2002's Weight of the World (released as a Rubber album in some markets) harkened back to the earlier sound of Mood Swings. It was followed in 2003 by Higher. The album's sound was more of a combination of classic melodic rock with a modern production. The album also featured the power ballad "Higher". The year 2003 also saw the release of Harry Hess' debut solo album Just Another Day.

In 2004, Pete Lesperance released his debut solo album Down In It (re-recorded with Mike Turner and released under the band name Fair Ground in 2006). One of their greatest hits is 'No Justice' which has many album sales.

Continuing their prolific output of studio albums, 2005's Overload was followed by Human Nature in 2007. The Japanese version of Overload features a cover of the AC/DC classic, "You Shook Me All Night Long".

On July 19, 2007, lead singer Harry Hess announced that Harem Scarem "will make one more studio record, and then after 20 years we have decided to move on to other things".[1][2] The final album, called Hope, was released July 2008.

Regarding the breakup and a possible reunion, Creighton Doane said:

There were no falling outs [sic] or personality problems, it was more a matter of time. People were getting busy with other projects and I think it just became one of those things where lives go on and you want to do something else...Go out while it’s not a complete mess and you’re still making good music.

Maybe there’ll be a great opportunity for a reunion, who knows? Everyone in the band gets along famously, we work together all the time, so there’s a sense that it’s not completely over. But still, it was the best thing to do.[3]

On June 21, 2010, Frontiers Records announced a new studio project called First Signal featuring ex-Harem Scarem members Harry Hess and Darren Smith. The album was released on August 27, 2010.[4]

Much of the Harem Scarem back catalogue was reissued in September 2010, featuring bonus tracks. Included in the reissue program are albums formerly only available in Japan, such as B-Side Collection, Rocks, and Ballads.

In December 2012, it was announced that a reunited Harem Scarem would headline the 10th Firefest festival in Nottingham, UK in October 2013. In 2014, Darren Smith emerged as the lead vocalist for former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Jake E. Lee's new band, Red Dragon Cartel.

In 2013, Harem Scarem reunited for 3 new studio tracks along with re-recording their album Mood Swings. Called Mood Swings II, this album allowed the band to retain the rights to their previously released material. On September 9, 2014, Harry Hess and Pete Lesperance announced they would be recording the band's thirteenth studio album, entitled Thirteen. Preorders were made available for 13 weeks via a Pledge Music page.[5]

In February 2017 it was announced that Harem Scarem would appear at Rockingham Festival 2017, this to be held at Nottingham Trent University, UK, between October 20 and 22, 2017, the band scheduled to appear on Saturday 21st.[6]

In March 2017 it was disclosed that to mark their 30th year Harem Scarem's 14th studio album, United, would be released by Frontiers Records on May 12. The 11-track album features Harry Hess (lead vocals, keyboards), Pete Lesperance (guitars, bass, keyboards), long-time drummer Creighton Doane, and backing vocals from original drummer Darren Smith (who will be playing live drums for the band on tour dates).[7]

In the Fall of 2018, Harem Scarem began writing their 15th studio album which is set to be released in 2020.

Fall of 2019, their yet to be named, 15th studio album is in process of being Mastered by Harry Hess of HBOMB Mastering.

"Change The World" will be their 15th studio album, with a release date of March 4th, 2020. Several versions of the album will be released including a deluxe edition featuring a DVD and bonus material.

• Harem Scarem (1991)
• Mood Swings (1993)
• Voice of Reason (1995)
• Karma Cleansing (1997)
• Big Bang Theory (1998)
• Rubber (1999)
• Ultra Feel (2001)
• Weight of the World (2002)
• Higher (2003)
• Overload (2005)
• Human Nature (2006)
• Hope (2008)
• Mood Swings II (2013)
• Thirteen (2014)
• United (2017)
• Change the World (2020)

• Live in Japan (1996)
• Live Ones (1997)
• Live at The Siren (1998)
• Last Live (2000)
• Live at the Gods 2002 (2002)
• Live at Firefest (2005)
• Raw and Rare (2008)

• The Best Of... (1998)
• B-Sides Collection (1998)
• Ballads (1999)
• Rocks (2001)
• The Very Best Of (2002)
• The Early Years (2003)
• The Essentials (2005)
• This Ain't Over – Best of the Avalon Years (2009)
• Harem Scarem - The Ultimate Collection (2019)

• 1991: "Slowly Slipping Away" - CAN #25[8]
• 1991: "Love Reaction"
• 1992: "Honestly" - CAN #68[9]
• 1992: "With a Little Love"
• 1992: "Something to Say"
• 1993: "No Justice"
• 1993: "Change Comes Around"
• 1994: "If There Was a Time"
• 1997: "Die Off Hard"
• 1997: "Rain"
• 1998: "New Religion"
• 1998: "What I Do"
• 1998: "Turn Around"
• 1998: "So Blind"

• Acoustic Sessions EP (1991)
• Live and Acoustic EP (1994)
• MelodicRock EP (2008)

• Video Hits & More (2002)
• Live at the Gods (2002)
• Raw and Rare (2007)
• Live at the Phoenix (2015)